This application provides a symbol processing method and apparatus. The method includes obtaining, based on a plurality of complex-valued symbols, a first set corresponding to a first transmitted symbol and a second set corresponding to a second transmitted symbol, performing a copy operation on the first set and the second set so both the first set and the second set have first complex-valued symbols, and a first subset start location including the first complex-valued symbols in the first set is the same as a second subset start location including the first complex-valued symbols in the second set; and performing signal processing including a cyclic shift or frequency domain weighting on the first set and the second set. The start location and an end location of the first subset respectively correspond to locations preceding and following a first reference point of the first transmitted symbol.